When it comes to art, most of us are better at appreciating it than creating it. If you ask Anky Jansen, she would rank herself as one of the appreciators, but claim she is no artist. The Holbrook resident’s modest opin-ion of herself would likely draw argument from the people who know her, especially those who have seen her tasty creations.
Jansen is a self-taught creator of novelty cakes. She began learning the art five years ago after seeing a cooking show on television and being fascinated by the methods and mixtures used to create these confec-tionary works of art.
“I’m not a baker. I just saw it as a challenge and was fascinated by all the possibilities,” explained Jansen.
When it comes to Jansen’s creations, the possibilities appear endless. Whether it’s a four-foot tall wedding cake with edible flowers cascading down the layers, or an edible six-pack of your favorite bottled beverage, all Jansen needs is a suggestion and the project begins. She never copies other cakes, but can make a cake look like pretty much anything, whether it be a slot machine with chocolate coins, a stuffed animal, a stack of pancakes or a makeup bag with candy powder eye shadow in edible containers. If you can imagine it, Jansen will likely be able to make it.
“When someone gives me an idea of what they want, then the wheels begin to turn and I start to visualize it all in my head,” she explained.
The visualization may be easy for Jansen, but the actualization is where the work begins. She takes great pride in the fact that every aspect of her creations is edible. While there may be a standard way for most cake makers to create their cake designs, Jansen has no problem going through her kitchen cupboards to find a solution to fit the situation.
For example, in creating a cake that resembled a cheeseburger with French fries, Jansen found herself faced with trying to find a way to make cake look like real French fries. Her solution was to use strips of pound cake, coat them in egg whites, then monitor them in her oven until they had the exact appearance of cooked potatoes. The finished product not only had the look of French fries but also retained the moistness of fresh cake.
“There’s a lot of research that can go into these cakes. I made a Subaru car cake, and I had no idea what the dimensions are for this car or how it looks, so I had to do a lot of homework to make sure of the correct dimensions,” stated Jansen. The work is more than making an item to scale, it’s also determining how to sup-port a creation that can otherwise crush the layers beneath it. She’s had to learn how to place supports in just the right places so that they go unnoticed, as well as what ingredients to use to make a lightweight, yet tasty delight.
For many of her creations, Jansen uses puffed rice molded with a chocolate ganache to create the shapes. Instead of costly fondant, Jansen has worked and refined the perfect mixture that includes marshmallow creme to create what she believes to be a better looking, better tasting and less expensive result. “It took a long time for me to get the mixture just right. That’s why so many people use fondant, but it’s just so expen-sive,” explained Jansen, who passes those savings on to her customers, making her prices very reasonable.
Jansen also creates her own decorative flowers using a sugary concoction, with each petal carefully de-signed by hand. She even creates the edible ribbon that adorns many of her cakes.
But beauty isn’t everything, even when it comes to cakes, so Jansen also takes great care to make her cakes with delicious fillings such as cream cheese with Mandarin oranges, or layered with bananas, chocolate and strawberries.
Jansen, who has been an employee of the Holbrook Denny’s Restaurant for the past 28 years, has man-aged to keep busy with her cake making through word of mouth and by passing out business cards as she waits tables.
“I’m very thankful to Denny’s. They have never once told me not to promote my cakes and they even allow people to pick up their orders at the restaurant. They have been very supportive in this,” said Jansen.
She makes cakes for all events, but requires at least a two-week notice in order to plan and research the project. If you are interested in learning more about Jansen’s cakes, she can be reached by calling 524-3422 or over a cup of coffee at Denny’s.
